Mental disorders among young adults of immigrant background: a nationwide register study in Norway

Measuring health-related quality of life: a qualitative study of mental health patients' experiences of impacts of mental health issues

BACKGROUND

Existing instruments used in health economics to measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL) have been criticized as they might not sufficiently reflect the HRQoL impacts of mental health problems. Our study investigates mental health patients' experiences of such impacts with a view to identifying potential domains that conventional HRQoL instruments might overlook.

METHODS

Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 participants receiving specialist mental health services in Norway. Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Five main themes were identified describing mental disorders' impact on patients' HRQoL: "Reduced functioning impacts", "Mental process impacts", "Social impacts", "Fragility", and "Sleep difficulty". While some overlap with conventional HRQoL instruments exists, distinct dimensions were identified, notably, "Fragility," encompassing unpredictability and inflexibility in daily life.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that comprehensive assessment should consider broader mental health impacts beyond anxiety and depression, including cognitive difficulties, obstructive self-perception, and feelings of meaninglessness. Additionally, the impact of unpredictability on daily functioning and the role of sleep difficulties should be incorporated. These insights can inform the development of more patient-centred HRQoL measures for mental health populations, potentially leading to more accurate evaluation of mental health interventions.

Hazardous drinking by age at migration and duration of residence among migrants in Sweden

INTRODUCTION

Sweden, with its history of restrictive alcohol policies and a large and diverse migrant population, constitutes an interesting context for studies on alcohol consumption patterns in migrant groups. This study examines how hazardous drinking among migrants in Sweden varies by origin, duration of residence and age at migration.

METHODS

Pooled cross-sectional survey data from the Västra Götaland region of Sweden, collected in 2011 and 2015, were linked to register data containing demographic, socioeconomic and migration-related factors (i.e., country of birth, duration of residence, age at migration), for 7754 migrants and 68,493 Swedish-born individuals aged 18-84 years. Logistic regression analyses were applied to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for hazardous drinking, identified by the validated Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test.

RESULTS

Relative to Swedish-born individuals, migrants from other Nordic countries had higher odds of hazardous drinking (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.18-1.77), while migrants from other European (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.44-0.69) and non-European (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.20-0.31) countries showed lower likelihoods. Among non-Nordic migrants in particular, hazardous drinking was more common among those with a longer duration of residence and those who migrated at pre-school ages.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Hazardous drinking among non-Nordic migrants increasingly resembled that of the Swedish-born population over time, aligning with findings in less restrictive alcohol policy contexts. Understanding how drinking patterns vary among migrant groups over time and across policy contexts is essential for developing effective public health strategies to reduce hazardous consumption and associated health and social harms.

Health among youth and young adults born in the nordic countries to immigrant parents- a scoping review

INTRODUCTION

A considerable number of individuals born in the Nordic countries to immigrant parents are now entering youth and young adulthood, but we have limited knowledge about their health. This scoping review aimed to map and summarize existing knowledge on the health of this group.

METHODS

This research followed guidelines from the Joanna Briggs Institute. The literature search was performed in the databases Ovid Medline, Embase, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, Scopus, SveMed+, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials Issue, and Epistemonikos. Two researchers screened titles and abstracts of all records, and then full-texts of potentially relevant studies. Any disagreements were solved by discussion. Reference lists of the included studies were screened for additional relevant articles. Included articles should report on health outcomes among persons aged 16-30 years, born in a Nordic country to immigrant parents. Evidence was extracted and summarized.

RESULTS

The initial search resulted in 2452 unique records. A total of 11 articles were included in the final scoping review. Most of the studies were on mental health and concluded that descendants of immigrants had higher levels of self-reported mental health problems than native-background youths and young adults. They were, however, less likely to use mental health services.

CONCLUSION

Available studies suggest that young adults born in the Nordics to immigrant parents have a greater burden of mental health problems but use mental health services less, than natives. Further studies on the reasons for this are warranted to elucidate possible action points.

Public health nurses' experiences with mental health promotion for adolescent immigrants in schools: A qualitative study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to explore public health nurses' experiences with mental health promotion for adolescent immigrants in lower secondary and high school, aiming to enhance knowledge and insights for effective mental health promotion.

METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN AND JUSTIFICATION

A qualitative design employing a hermeneutic approach was chosen. Thirteen public health nurses were selected using purposive criterion sampling and snowballing. Thematic analysis was applied, adhering to COREQ guidelines for transparency.

ETHICAL ISSUES AND APPROVAL

The research was approved by the Norwegian Centre for Research Data. The guidelines of the National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities were followed.

RESEARCH METHODS, INSTRUMENTS, AND/OR INTERVENTIONS

Data were collected through three focus-group interviews (n = 13), using semi-structured interview guides to explore the experiences of public health nurses in promoting mental health among adolescent immigrants.

OUTCOME MEASURES

This study identified three key themes: (i) Striving to understand adolescent immigrants' mental health aspects, including both positive and negative aspects; (ii) Different strategies for promoting mental health, viewing adolescents as both recipients and contributors to their well-being; and (iii) Barriers to public health nurses' promotion of mental health, including language, cultural, and knowledge-related obstacles and trust issues.

RESULTS

Public health nurses noted that language barriers and trust issues often delayed adolescent immigrants from seeking help for mental health concerns. Cultural competence and empathy were deemed crucial. To meet these needs, public health nurses must build rapport with parents, collaborate with professionals, implement follow-up programmes, and advocate for policy changes.

STUDY LIMITATIONS

Limitations of this qualitative study include potential bias from the authors' background and non-generalizability of results to other contexts.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, public health nurses' experiences reveal the need for enhanced cultural competence, language proficiency, and trust-building to better serve adolescent immigrants. Collaborative efforts, follow-up programmes, and policy advocacy are essential to improve mental health promotion in school settings.

Individual, interpersonal, and organisational factors associated with discrimination in medical decisions affecting people with a migration background with mental health problems: the case of general practice

OBJECTIVES

Although people with a migration background (MB) have more unmet mental health needs than the general population, patients with a MB are still underrepresented in mental health care services. Provider bias towards these patients has been evidenced repeatedly but its driving factors remain elusive. We assessed the moderating effect of the individual (e.g. age and ethnicity), interpersonal (e.g. healthcare provider trust), and organisational (e.g. perceived workload) factors on general practitioners (GPs) differential decision-making regarding diagnosis, treatment, and referral for a depressed patient with or without a MB.

DESIGN

An experimental study was carried out in which GPs were shown one of two video vignettes featuring adult male depressed patients, one with a MB and the other without. Belgian GPs (n = 797, response rate was 13%) had to decide on their diagnosis, treatment, and referral. Analysis of variance and logistic regression were used to analyse the effect of a MB, adding interaction terms for the explanatory variables.

RESULTS

Overall, we found that there were ethnic differences in GPs' decisions regarding diagnosis and treatment recommendations. GPs perceived the symptoms of the patient with a MB as less severe (F = 7.68, p < 0.01) and demonstrated a reduced likelihood to prescribe a combination of medical and non-medical treatments (F = 11.55, p < 0.001). Those differences increased in accordance with the GP's age and perceived workload; at an interpersonal level, we found that differences increased when the GP thought the patient was exaggerating his distress.

CONCLUSION

This paper showed that lower levels of trust among GPs' towards their migrant patients and high GP workloads contribute to an increased ethnic bias in medical decision-making. This may perpetuate ethnic inequalities in mental health care. Future researchers should develop an intervention to decrease the ethnic inequities in mental health care by addressing GPs' trust in their migrant and ethnic minority patients.

Parent-Child Nativity, Race, Ethnicity, and Common Mental Health Conditions Among United States Children and Adolescents

OBJECTIVE

To examine associations between race, ethnicity, and parent-child nativity, and common mental health conditions among U.S. children and adolescents.

METHODS

Data were from 2016 to 2019 National Survey of Children's Health, a US population-based, serial cross-sectional survey, and restricted to children who had access to health care. We used weighted multivariable logistic regression to examine the associations between race and ethnicity (Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, Other-race); mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and behavior/conduct problems) stratified by household generation; and between household generation and outcomes stratified by race and ethnicity, adjusting for demographics (age, sex, family income to poverty ratio, parental education), and an adverse childhood experience (ACE) score.

RESULTS

When stratifying by household generation, racial and ethnic minority children generally had similar to lower odds of outcomes compared with White children, with the exception of higher odds of behavior/conduct problems among third + -generation Black children. When stratifying by race and ethnicity, third + generation children had increased odds of depression compared to their first-generation counterparts. Third + generation, racial and ethnic minority children had increased odds of anxiety and behavior/conduct problems compared with their first-generation counterparts. The associations generally remained significant after adjusting for the ACE score.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower odds of common mental health conditions in racial and ethnic minority children could be due to factors such as differential reporting, and higher estimates, including those in third + generation children, could be due to factors including discrimination; systemic racism; and other factors that vary by generation and need further investigation to advance health equity.

Unintentional Discrimination Against Patients with a Migration Background by General Practitioners in Mental Health Management: An Experimental Study

Populations with a migration background have a higher prevalence of mental health problems than their native counterparts. They are also more likely to have unmet medical needs and are less frequently referred to mental health services. One potential explanation for this is that physicians, such as general practitioners (GPs), may unintentionally discriminate against migrant patients, particularly when they lack humanization. To date, no experimental study has investigated this hypothesis. This paper assesses the influence of humanization on GPs' discriminatory decisions regarding migrant patients with depression. A balanced 2 × 2 factorial experiment was carried out with Belgian GPs (N = 797) who received video-vignettes depicting either a native patient or a migrant patient with depression. Half of the respondents were exposed to a text that humanized the patient by providing more details about the patient's life story. Decisions related to diagnosis, treatment and referral were collected, as well as the time spent on each video and text, and were analysed using ANOVA. Migrant patients' symptoms were judged to be less severe than those of native patients (F = 7.71, p < 0.05). For almost all treatments, the decision was less favourable for the migrant patient. Humanization had little effect on medical decisions. We observed that GPs spent significantly more time on the vignette with the humanization intervention, especially for the migrant patients. The results indicate that ethnic differences in the management of depression persist in primary care. Humanization, however, does not mitigate those differences in medical decisions.

Interventions to improve the mental health or mental well-being of migrants and ethnic minority groups in Europe: A scoping review

In Europe, migrants and ethnic minority groups are at greater risk for mental disorders compared to the general population. However, little is known about which interventions improve their mental health and well-being and about their underlying mechanisms that reduce existing mental health inequities. To fill this gap, the aim of this scoping review was to synthesise the available evidence on health promotion, prevention, and non-medical treatment interventions targeting migrants and ethnic minority populations. By mapping and synthesising the findings, including facilitators and barriers for intervention uptake, this scoping review provides valuable insights for developing future interventions. We used the PICo strategy and PRISMA guidelines to select peer-reviewed articles assessing studies on interventions. In total, we included 27 studies and synthesised the results based on the type of intervention, intervention mechanisms and outcomes, and barriers and facilitators to intervention uptake. We found that the selected studies implemented tailored interventions to reach these specific populations who are at risk due to structural inequities such as discrimination and racism, stigma associated with mental health, language barriers, and problems in accessing health care. The majority of interventions showed a positive effect on participants' mental health, indicating the importance of using a tailored approach. We identified three main successful mechanisms for intervention development and implementation: a sound theory-base, systematic adaption to make interventions culturally sensitive and participatory approaches. Moreover, this review indicates the need to holistically address social determinants of health through intersectoral programming to promote and improve mental health among migrants and ethnic minority populations. We identified current shortcomings and knowledge gaps within this field: rigorous intervention studies were scarce, there was a large diversity regarding migrant population groups and few studies evaluated the interventions' (cost-)effectiveness.

The prevalence of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder among African migrants: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Evidence exists reporting a high mental health burden among migrants globally. However, there is no global estimate of mental ill-health among African migrants despite their adverse pre-migration environments. This systematic review and meta-analysis summarise the current scholarship regarding the prevalence of anxiety, depression and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the global African migrant population.

METHODS

We searched six databases (Medline (EBSCOHost), PsycINFO (EBSCOHost), Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) from 1st January 2000 to 31st August 2021. We screened retrieved articles using strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools. Random-effects meta-analyses were employed using DerSimonian and Laird estimator based on inverse variance weights. The I² statistic was used to measure heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Our search retrieved 1091 articles, of which 46 were included representing a total of 28,367 African migrants. The weighted mean age of African migrants was 32.98 years, and nearly half were male (n= 12852, 45.31%). Among the included studies, almost nine out of ten (n=41, 89.1%) were cross-sectional studies. The pooled prevalence of anxiety, depression and PTSD was 34.60%;95%CI (26.30-43.00), 33.20%;95%CI (27.70-38.37) and 37.9%;95%CI (23.5- 52.4) respectively. Significant heterogeneity (I² >98%) existed in the prevalence estimates for anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Sub-group analyses indicate a significantly higher prevalence of anxiety and depression but PTSD for studies conducted in Africa than outside Africa. Similarly, higher prevalence rates for anxiety, depression, and PTSD were seen in studies that used a screening tool than in those that used a diagnostic tool, although a significant difference was observed for depression only.

CONCLUSION

Despite significant heterogeneity among included studies, our systematic review and meta-analysis show a high prevalence of anxiety, depression, and PTSD among African migrants. Our findings underscore the need to develop and implement serious, culturally appropriate mental health interventions that address post-migration stressors that increase their risk of mental ill-health and successful integration into host communities.

Change in Work-Related Income Following the Uptake of Treatment for Mental Disorders Among Young Migrant and Non-migrant Women in Norway: A National Register Study

Background: Women, and migrant women in particular, are at increased risk of many common mental disorders, which may potentially impact their labor market participation and their work-related income. Previous research found that mental disorders are associated with several work-related outcomes such as loss of income, however, not much is known about how this varies with migrant background. This study investigated the change in work-related income following the uptake of outpatient mental healthcare (OPMH) treatment, a proxy for mental disorder, in young women with and without migrant background. Additionally, we looked at how the association varied by income level. Methods: Using data from four national registries, the study population consisted of women aged 23-40 years residing in Norway for at least three consecutive years between 2006 and 2013 (N = 640,527). By using a stratified linear regression with individual fixed effects, we investigated differences between majority women, descendants and eight migrant groups. Interaction analysis was conducted in order to examine differences in income loss following the uptake of OPMH treatment among women with and without migrant background. Results: Results showed that OPMH treatment was associated with a decrease in income for all groups. However, the negative effect was stronger among those with low income. Only migrant women from Western and EU Eastern Europe with a high income were not significantly affected following OPMH treatment. Conclusion: Experiencing a mental disorder during a critical age for establishment in the labor market can negatively affect not only income, but also future workforce participation, and increase dependency on social welfare services and other health outcomes, regardless of migrant background. Loss of income due to mental disorders can also affect future mental health, resulting in a vicious circle and contributing to more inequalities in the society.